Broccoli with Garlic Sauce

When I was growing up, broccoli was the go-to vegetable in our house. Sure we ate plenty of other vegetables, but broccoli was our standby.  When in doubt about what to serve as the vegetable part of a meal, broccoli was usually the answer – even if conventional culinary wisdom would dictate otherwise.  Need a side dish for spaghetti?  Broccoli works.  Can’t figure out what vegetable to serve with tacos?  How about broccoli?  More often than not, broccoli did, in fact, go pretty well with whatever we were eating.  To this day, it is still a running joke in our family.  Can’t decide what vegetable to serve for dinner?  Go with broccoli.

Despite having eaten so much broccoli growing up, it’s still a favorite vegetable of mine.  Especially if it’s been stir-fried and coated in a delicious sauce – like today’s recipe for Broccoli with Garlic Sauce.  I tried this recipe for the first time a few days ago, and it is sure to be a repeat player in our kitchen.  All you have to do is whisk together a few ingredients for the sauce, then quickly cook your garlic and broccoli.  You can have the whole thing on the table in less than 15 minutes.  That alone would make this recipe a winner in my book, but the flavor sends it over the top.  The broccoli is crisp-tender and bathed in a savory sauce studded with garlic and full of mouthwatering Asian flavors.  The recipe make four servings, but Stan and I devoured it all in one sitting.  I served it with an Asian-inspired meal, but I think you could easily serve it with any number of things.  After all, broccoli goes with everything.

Brussels Sprouts with Apples, Onions and Bacon

I was all set to tell you about my new favorite dessert today – a dessert that is fast, easy, and perfect for a weeknight treat.  So why, I’m sure you are asking, am I telling you about Brussels sprouts?  Because I made this recipe for Brussels Sprouts with Apples, Onions, and Bacon last night, and it rocked my world.  So much so that it jumped right to the head of the line.  You’re just going to have to trust me on this one.  (And trust that the dessert recipe won’t remain a mystery for long.)

But I digress.  Back to my new favorite veggie recipe… It all starts with a little bacon – just enough to make the whole dish smoky and incredible tasting.  Diced granny smith apples and red onion come next, cooked in the bacon drippings until they are softened and sweet.  Finally, shredded Brussels sprouts are mixed in, along with some great flavor from apple cider vinegar and Dijon mustard.  All in all, the combination of flavors and textures is, as I said, kind of world-rocking.  At least for a vegetable recipe. 

Scalloped Tomatoes with Croutons

In Dayton, Ohio, where I grew up, there’s a well-known steakhouse.  I’ve never actually had a steak from there, but every once in awhile, when we got really lucky, my dad would pick up their burgers on the way home from work.  As I’m sure you can imagine, burgers from a steakhouse are pretty darn good.  However, the burgers weren’t my favorite part of the takeout order. 

What I looked forward to (and often ordered double servings of) were the stewed tomatoes.  They were warm, a little sweet, and a little tangy.  They were also topped with cubes of toasted bread that were crunchy on top and a little soggy where they touched the tomatoes.  Those stewed tomatoes rocked my world.

Unfortunately, I haven’t found anything similar since I moved away.  Surprisingly, it never occurred to me to try to make stewed tomatoes myself.  It wasn’t until I came across today’s recipe for Scalloped Tomatoes with Croutons that my cooking wheels started turning.  And then my friend and I made the recipe for lunch one day.  And I nearly fainted – in a good way.

These Scalloped Tomatoes with Croutons are warm and bubbly.  The tomatoes are sweet and savory and a little tangy.  The homemade croutons add fantastic texture and crunch.  The Parmesan cheese, while not a part of the tomatoes of my youth, adds a lovely (and I think, optional) richness.  All in all, I’m in love with this recipe.  It reminds me of childhood and takeout burger nights with my family.  It’s a good thing.

Greek-Style Stuffed Peppers

I know stuffed peppers don’t exactly scream summertime, but with fresh peppers being so abundant at my local farmers markets, I think it’s ok to buck tradition a little. And that’s a good thing, because these Greek-Style stuffed peppers aren’t exactly traditional (at least not based on what I grew up with).

Like many of their peers, these peppers are stuffed with ground beef.  (You can also use turkey.)  Unlike their peers, these peppers are also stuffed with lots of veggies, including fresh, grated zucchini, chopped spinach, garlic, and onions.  Instead of rice, wheat bulgur acts as the binder.  (If you’re not familiar, bulgur is the grain used to make tabbouli.)  On top of the peppers, canned stewed tomatoes make an easy, slightly sweet, and savory sauce.  Crumbles of feta top everything off and add a salty, creamy component to the dish.  Like I said, they may not be traditional, but they are delicious.  They’re even good enough to make me consider turning on my oven in the middle of August.

Tomato Pie

Before moving to the South, I thought I knew all about pie.  On the sweet side, you have your fruit pies, your chocolate and coconut cream pies, your lemon meringue pies, and your pecan pies.  On the savory side, you've got what some people call pizza pies.  (I just call them pizzas.)

One pie I’d never heard of, however, was the tomato pie.  When I first came across recipes for this Southern-style summer pie, all I could think was, “Is it pizza?”  To those of you wondering the same thing, let me clear up the confusion.  Tomato pie is definitely not the same thing as pizza.

Tomato pie is pie crust filled with fresh chopped tomatoes, sweet caramelized onions, and ribbons of fresh basil.  That alone would be plenty delicious.  But this is a Southern dish, so of course it needs a little richness.  That richness comes in the form of a thick topping made of shredded cheese, mayonnaise, and hot sauce.  Sounds weird I know, but go with it.  (If you’re familiar with pimento cheese, another Southern favorite, that’s essentially what we’re talking about here.)  The cheese gets browned and bubbly and seals in the tomato filling like a top pie crust.

All together, this pie tastes like summer.  It is fresh and juicy and rich and decadent.  It’s certainly not healthy, but it’s a delicious treat and a great way to use some of summer’s best produce.

Edamame Succotash

I know I’ve been giving you a lot of vegetable recipes lately.  I’m sure you’re wondering where the sugar and bread and meat have gone.  Or maybe where you live it’s also 123 degrees every day, and you can’t think much past lighter, veg-heavy dishes either – especially if they’re jazzed up with the good stuff.  Lately we’ve had vegetables with goat cheese, vegetables with Pecorino and almonds, and most recently, we’ve had vegetables with bacon.  You can handle another veggie recipe if it contains bacon, right?

I hope so, because today’s recipe for Edamame Succotash is a good one.  Succotash is a dish traditionally made with corn and lima beans, and sometimes tomatoes and bell peppers.  This recipe swaps out the usual lima beans for edamame – the bright green soybeans you eat straight from the pod at Japanese restaurants. 

This dish is quick-cooking, easy to make, and packed with great flavor and texture.  Fresh corn from the cob, juicy tomatoes, crunchy red bell pepper, sweet Vidalia onion, and those bright green soybeans come together in a colorful and delicious combination.  The crisp bacon and fresh basil added at the end take the succotash from ordinary to something pretty darn delicious.

Succotash is a great summer side that works well at barbecues and picnics since it doesn’t contain any mayo or dairy.   And, since edamame packs a big protein punch, you could also serve the succotash as a light entrée, with some great bread alongside.  However you serve it, I think you’ll like it.  I mean, c’mon, there’s bacon in there!

Shaved Summer Squash Salad

Last night I tried a new salad recipe.  It rocked my world.  It was so good I’m making it again tonight.  In fact, I might make it every night for the rest of the summer.  Ok, perhaps not every night, but definitely often.  Because this salad is summer in a bowl (or on a plate).  It combines some of my absolute favorite flavors and tosses them all together in one glorious heap.  It’s fast, fresh, and seasonal.  And man, oh man, it is so delicious.

This Shaved Summer Squash Salad combines thin ribbons of fresh, raw zucchini and yellow squash with a bright, lemony dressing.  Bitter arugula, sharp Pecorino cheese, and crunchy toasted almonds add flavor and texture.  The recipe makes four servings, but Stan and I polished off the entire bowl.  In fact, I had to fight him for seconds – he liked this salad so much he wanted three servings.  Considering he’s a serious meat and potatoes kind of guy, I think that’s just about the highest praise there is.

Asparagus with Balsamic Tomatoes and Goat Cheese

When it comes to weeknight cooking, fast, easy, and delicious are my favorite buzzwords.  Are you with me on this one?  If so, you are going to love today’s recipe with a capital L.  Asparagus with Balsamic Tomatoes and Goat Cheese – what’s not to like?  Just the name has my mouth watering.  (If you haven’t noticed, I kind of have a thing for goat cheese.)

This recipe uses fresh asparagus – plentiful, inexpensive, and in-season at this time of year.  The asparagus gets a quick cook (we’re talking 2 to 3 minutes) in boiling water before getting an incredibly flavorful topping.  To make the topping, halved grape tomatoes are quickly cooked with a little garlic and balsamic vinegar.  That sounds simple enough, but the flavor produced is anything but.  As the tomatoes cook, they get soft and sweet and a little tangy from the vinegar.  After a couple of minutes, the tomatoes take on an almost jam-like consistency.  It is “lick the pan” good.  And it takes about 5 minutes.  The fact that creamy goat cheese tops every off is the icing on the cake. 

A few notes: this recipe originally called for using whole asparagus spears.  I had intended to prepare mine that way as well, but my asparagus was on its way out the door, and the tips weren’t looking so hot.  I decided to trim them off and go for bite-sized pieces instead.  Not as pretty, perhaps, but nice and easy to eat.  Also, while this recipe is delicious made with asparagus, I think it would be equally delicious using any number of vegetables, especially green beans, spinach, or roasted broccoli.  The balsamic tomatoes and goat cheese would also make an amazing topping for bruschetta, polenta, or even pasta.  However you tweak it (or make it as it), this recipe is a spring and summer weeknight winner.

Jalapeño-Baked Fish with Roasted Tomatoes and Potatoes

There are certain recipes that just aren’t that pretty. They might be incredibly delicious, but they won’t win any beauty pageants – or food styling contests. If you were telling your friends about these recipes, you might say they “have a great personality”. And while “a great personality” might be code for something less than desirable in a blind date, it’s not at all a bad thing on your dinner plate.

Take today’s recipe: Jalapeno-Baked Fish with Roasted Tomatoes and Potatoes. It’s not really a looker. One glance will not have you drooling on your keyboard. One taste might. This is one of those deceptively delicious dishes. It looks like tomato sauce on top of fish on top of sliced potatoes. It tastes like a mouthwatering, tomato-based sauce flavored with garlic, cilantro, and pickled jalapenos layered on top of moist, perfectly cooked fish on top of thin slices of tender potatoes. Sounds more drool-worthy that it looks, right?

Would you drool even more if I told you this is an easy, quick-cooking dinner? If so, grab a napkin my friends, because this recipe is indeed weeknight friendly. And relatively inexpensive. And just oh so good. Oh, and everything cooks in one dish, so there are barely any dishes to wash. Just thought I’d throw that one in there, you know, in case you weren’t already sold.

Pepita-Crusted Mahi with Maple-Ginger Mashed Rutabagas and Cranberry Salsa

Today we’re mixing things up a little bit, and I’m going to do something I don’t normally do here. I’m going to share three recipes in one post. See, it’s kind of important that I give you all three recipes at once because they all go together to make one heck of a dinner. If I only gave you one recipe at a time that would make me a tease, and no one wants to be labeled a tease – am I right? Maybe we shouldn’t go there…

The star of this post, and the main component of the meal, is Pepita-Crusted Mahi. Pepitas are pumpkin seeds that have had their outer shells removed. They have a mildly nutty flavor that makes a great base for a flavorful “crust” when ground up and combined with crunchy panko bread crumbs, lime zest, cumin, and smoked paprika. The flavors in the pepita coating are the perfect compliment to mahi’s flaky, meaty texture and mild taste. All together, it’s a pretty delicious piece of fish.

To go with your entrée, you’re going to need a side dish, and Maple-Ginger Mashed Rutabagas are an excellent accompaniment to the Pepita-Crusted Mahi. In this recipe, the rutabaga is roasted in the oven with fresh ginger, maple syrup, and just a pinch of cinnamon until it is tender and caramelized. It is then mashed (or puréed – your choice) until smooth and creamy. If you’ve never tried this often overlooked root vegetable, this is definitely a good recipe to introduce you to it.

Finally, to add a bright pop of color to your plate, we have Cranberry Salsa. While I’ve had fruit-based salsas before (mango, pineapple, peach, etc.), cranberries in salsa form was a new one for me. Let me just say – so, so good. The extreme tartness of the fresh cranberries is tempered with sugar, tangy lime juice, and the kick of heat and savory flavor from jalapeno, fresh ginger, green onion, and (optional) cilantro. The salsa tastes delicious on its own, but it also works well to tie everything on the plate together. Try a bite of fish with salsa, a taste of fish with rutabaga, some salsa with rutabaga – you get the idea. However you load your fork, your mouth will be happy with this somewhat unusual and intriguing mix of flavors.

Warm Spinach and White Bean Dip

Like many people, I have an unfortunate weakness for cheesy, creamy, gooey, and otherwise fattening foods. Not surprisingly, I’ve always been a big fan of warm dips. Knowing their relative lack of healthy merit, I rarely make them at home. Last week however, I made dip… twice. In my (arteries’) defense, one recipe was far healthier than your average hot dip. The other… not so much. Both were delicious though, and I’ve been looking forward to telling you about them.

Today I present to you a healthy warm spinach dip. Unlike the spinach dips you can get, well, pretty much everywhere, this recipe is not a cream cheese/mayo/sour cream fat bomb. You can actually feel good about eating this dip. And since I have pretty much no willpower around foods I love, that is a very good thing as far as I’m concerned.

This recipe is a different spin on a traditional spinach dip. The base is a puree of creamy white beans and fluffy ricotta cheese, which makes for a somewhat thicker dip than usual. Spinach gives the dip its color and lemon zest and fresh chives give it some zing. Fresh from the oven, this spinach and white bean dip is delicious with veggies, toast, pita chips, etc. It would also make a great vegetarian sandwich spread. Leftovers dry out a bit, so dig in while the dip is at its creamy best.

Curried Lentils with Sweet Potatoes and Swiss Chard

For the last few days, Nashville has been gray. All day. The sky is pretty much the same color from sunrise to sunset – and let me tell you, it is not such a pretty color. Where is the warm and sunny South I’ve come to love? I tell you, I think it’s hibernating for the winter. And really, that’s what this weather is making me want to do too. Put on some sweats, cozy up under a pile of blankets with the remote control, and hibernate ‘til spring.

Since giving up on leaving the house for the next few months isn’t really an option for most of us, I offer you up the next best thing – a warm and cozy meal that will help you through these chilly nights and give you lunch leftovers to look forward to on an otherwise dreary day. My cure for the gray-day doldrums? Curried Lentils with Sweet Potatoes and Swiss Chard.

This sweet and savory dish may not be the most glamorous looking meal you’ve ever made, but I promise you, its taste more than makes up for its looks. Imagine, if you will, creamy sweet potatoes, hearty lentils, and tender Swiss chard cooked together with garlic, onions, and just the right amount of spice. Take that flavor combo, brighten it up with lime zest and juice and a healthy dose of cilantro and scallions, and you’ve got a flavor power punch coming your way. Admittedly there are a lot of ingredients in this dish, but don’t let that dissuade you. The prep work is easy and most of the cook time is hands-free so you can sit back and enjoy a glass of wine… or head to the couch and curl up under a blanket.

Lentil Vegetable Soup

Stan and I just got back from a lovely visit with his family in Cleveland, Ohio. While the wisdom of traveling to the land of lake effect snow in January is debatable, finding $60 roundtrip tickets is a rarity that makes braving the cold a little more tolerable. (You read that right - $60 roundtrip! We caught a crazy Southwest sale back in October and jumped on those prices in a flash.)

To keep us warm and spoil us rotten, Stan’s parents cooked all of our favorite Russian foods, turning our visit into a four-day feast. (I’ve told you before that Stan is Russian, right? He didn’t move to the U.S. until he was eleven, and his family still speaks Russian at home.) Russian food is the perfect winter belly-warmer. It’s hearty and homey enough to fortify you through those Arctic Siberian winters – or January in Cleveland.

However, while we love traditional Russian foods and Stan’s parents’ excellent home-cooking, back in Nashville we are feeling the need to lighten things up while we recover from the feasting that embodies our family get-togethers. When it comes to eating healthier, lentils are an excellent choice. They are inexpensive, high in protein, and very filling.

While we already have a lentil soup recipe on this site, today’s soup is a bit different. It has a different flavor profile and a lot more vegetables. It also takes quite a bit more time to prepare, due to all of the chopping involved with those vegetables. Do not let that dissuade you though. This soup is fantastic – flavorful, colorful (as colorful as lentil soup can be), healthy, and filling. The recipe makes an enormous pot of soup, so you can have it on hand for healthy lunches or dinners all week. I imagine it would freeze well too, so you could make some now and save the rest for the next time you, like us, need to lighten thing up a little.

French Onion Soup Stuffed Mushrooms

In my last post I mentioned how we stayed in for New Years this year. What I neglected to mention was that while we had an intimate gathering of five people, I made enough food for at least double that many. Four appetizers, a big entrée, and a dessert that serves sixteen. I realize that may sound nuts, but I don’t often have a reason to try out so many new recipes. Since it’s just the two of us, it takes us awhile to get through food. Stan eats enough for two, but we can still be eating the same dinner for two or three nights in a row. Having a party gives me a chance to experiment and try new things – and make a tiny dent in my ever-expanding file of recipes to try.

One of the big winners from our New Years dinner was these French Onion Soup Stuffed Mushrooms. A fun twist on a cocktail party classic, these savory babies combine two delicious dishes into one. Slow cooked onions are seasoned with traditional French onion soup flavorings and stuffed into juicy mushrooms. The mushrooms are then topped with nutty Gruyère cheese and baked until tender and bubbling. A sprinkle of chopped fresh parsley finishes them off, and then you are ready for the big ta-da moment.

And you will get a moment for these gems. Whether you use big mushrooms or small, they will disappear in an instant. If you are making them for a party, I recommend sneaking a few in the kitchen before you serve them, just to make sure you get to try them! If you don’t want to wait for a special occasion (and I don’t think you should), these stuffed mushrooms are easy enough that they’d also make a fun side dish at your next family dinner. I’m thinking they’d be fantastic alongside a steak or even a roast chicken. However you serve them, I think you’ll love them.

Healthy Recipes to Kick Off the New Year

Happy New Year! I hope you all had a wonderful New Year’s Eve with friends and family and have kicked off 2011 with a bang. We stayed in to ring in the New Year this year, and celebrated with friends, an enormous meal, and a whole lot of celebratory libations. After all of that revelry, Stan and I are feeling the need for some healthier meals and a little more exercise in our lives. While neither of us are big on New Year’s resolutions, eating better and moving more are certainly tops on many people’s lists for this time of year. So, in honor of those, like us, who need some holiday detox, or are trying to make good on healthy resolutions, today’s post features recipes that can help you cook your way to a healthier new year.

Soups and stews are always good in January, heating you up without filling you out. Here are some delicious, belly-warming options... (Just click on the recipe titles to link to the original posts!)

Coconut Curry Noodle Soup

Island Kale and Sweet Potato Soup

Curried Butternut Squash Soup

 Moroccan Spiced Chickpea Soup

Tortellini Soup

Shrimp and Corn Chowder

Chickpea and Kale Stew

Chicken Posole